François ( ) is a

local service district Local service district may refer to these administrative units in Canada: * Local service district (New Brunswick) A local service district (LSD) was a provincial administrative unit for the provision of local services in the Canadian province o ...

and

designated place A designated place (DPL) is a type of community or settlement identified by Statistics Canada that does not meet the criteria used to define municipalities or population centres. DPLs are delineated every 5 years for the Canadian census as the s ...

in the

Canadian province Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Constitution of Canada, Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North Amer ...

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...

. It is located on the southern coast of Newfoundland on François Bay at the end of a small

fjord In physical geography, a fjord (also spelled fiord in New Zealand English; ) is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Antarctica, the Arctic, and surrounding landmasses of the n ...

. There is a general store, a post office and a small museum, accessed by concrete pathways and boardwalks. Most residents pronounce the name "Fran-sway", and its proper spelling is without the

cedilla A cedilla ( ; from Spanish language, Spanish ', "small ''ceda''", i.e. small "z"), or cedille (from French , ), is a hook or tail () added under certain letters (as a diacritic, diacritical mark) to indicate that their pronunciation is modif ...

found in the French word ''françois''. Francois is inaccessible by road and may be reached only by air or sea.

History

The community was first settled in the 1700s, and resisted the government resettlement programs of the mid 20th century, though it reconsidered and rejected resettlement in 2013 and again in 2021.MacIsaac, Chantelle (13 January 2014).
No resettlement for Francois
, ''

Prince Albert Daily Herald The ''Prince Albert Daily Herald'' is a daily newspaper serving the city of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada, and the surrounding area. History The ''Herald'' traces its roots to the ''Prince Albert Advocate'', which was begun in 1894 as on ...

Geography

François is in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

within Subdivision E of Division No. 3. It is located on the southern coast of Newfoundland on François Bay at the end of a small

. The community is approximately 36 km east of the community of Grey River.

Demographics

As a designated place in the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

, François recorded a population of 64 living in 28 of its 47 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 89. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.

Government

Francois is a local service district (LSD) that is governed by a committee responsible for the provision of certain services to the community. The chair of the LSD committee is Austin Fudge.

Transportation

There is no road to the village, which can only be accessed by boat and helicopter, and

snowmobile A snowmobile, also known as a snowmachine (chiefly Alaskan), motor sled (chiefly Canadian), motor sledge, skimobile, snow scooter, or simply a sled is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. Their engines normally ...

in the winter.Crummey, Michael
Sweet, secluded society
''Saltscapes'' (May/June 2011)(12 October 2014 - air date?)

''

Land and Sea ''Land and Sea'' is a locally produced Canadian documentary television show broadcast on CBC Television. It has been on the air since 1964 on CBC owned-operated station CBNT in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador (interrupted only by a short ...

'', CBC(14 August 2014)
What it means to be a Newfoundlander is quickly changing
''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'' Francois is serviced by an intra-provincial ferry in

Burgeo Burgeo ( ) is a town in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is located mainly on Grandy Island, on the south coast of the island of Newfoundland. It is an outport community. The town is approximately east of Channel-Port au ...

References

{{Subdivisions of Newfoundland and Labrador, state=collapsed, LSD/DPL=yes Designated places in Newfoundland and Labrador Local service districts in Newfoundland and Labrador Road-inaccessible communities of Newfoundland and Labrador Fishing communities in Canada Car-free zones in Canada Populated coastal places in Canada